History andSocial Sciences

The faculty and students within our multidisciplinary department advance the study and practice of history and the social sciences through teaching, research, and outreach. Our research generates knowledge rooted in historical and social scientific approaches to the study of the human condition.

Noteworthy

Politics and Law grad Kaitlin Sidorsky ’10 now a college professor

Politics and Law major Kaitlin Sidorsky ’10 (Rocky Point, NY) has always been a curious person with a love of learning. She recalls her mother telling her that an education was the one thing that no one could ever take from her. “That advice has had a huge impact on my outlook in life and helps push me to keep learning,” says Sidorsky.

Her interest in women and politics began at Bryant during a capstone course for her major.

Today, she’s not only learning – she’s teaching as an assistant professor of political science at Coastal Carolina University. “Teaching students feels great,” she says. “I especially love to watch them improve throughout the semester and achieve what they never thought they could.”

As a Bryant undergraduate, Sidorsky chose to study politics and law at for two reasons: she aspired to be a lawyer and had the feeling that Bryant was a place where she could succeed as a whole person. Dreams about law school changed when Sidorsky began taking political science classes as part of her major.

“I found that I had a much larger passion for politics then I did for law,” she says. “I fell in love with political science, and it became difficult for me to imagine a world in which I was not pursuing that every single day.”

After graduating from Bryant with highest honors and the top award in political science, Sidorsky earned a Ph.D. in political science at Brown University, completing a dissertation titled “One Way or Another: Understanding Women’s Paths to Appointed and Elected Office.” Her interest in women and politics began at Bryant, she says, during a capstone course for her major, where she developed her own research project.

Sidorsky has returned to Bryant a number of times as a guest lecturer and as part of Bryant IDEA, a signature program of the First-Year Gateway Experience. She also keeps in touch with two of her mentors, Professor of Political Science John Dietrich, Ph.D., and Associate Professor of Political Science Rich Holtzman, Ph.D.

“Bryant gave me everything I needed to get to where I am today, including an academic program that fit in perfectly with my interest and ultimately helped me realize that politics is my true passion,” says Sidorsky. “Most importantly, the University gave me professors who prepared me for graduate school and became mentors and friends. They cared about me as a person, not just a student, and I could never thank them enough.

“I know that my experience with faculty at Bryant is the norm, not the exception. That principle drives my own teaching philosophy as I begin my career.”